Murdered to Death

Swanage Drama Company presented this murder-mystery spoof, all very tongue-in-cheek and full of corny jokes, absurd situations and quirky characters.  The stage was nicely dressed with a time-appropriate three-piece suite and rugs and all the accoutrements of a 1930s country house, with the characters very well-costumed.

Lady Mildred, (Carrie Gelder)with her querulous, somewhat caricatured voice, was bossy, rich and eccentric, so that we were not surprised when she became the murderer’s first victim.  Dorothy (Claire Leyman-Hobbs) became an immediate suspect and shouldn’t be overlooked as, even though she was playing the mousy and somewhat downtrodden relative, she was well-played and had character of her own.  The butler, Bunting, (Michael Peden) was rebellious and disrespectful, his drunkenness had an appropriately relaxed physicality, and he displayed a genuine sense of enjoyment at the prospect of becoming rich.   Miss Maple, (Anne Peden) was just as mild and thoughtful as we expect our amateur lady sleuth and murder-magnet to be, if rather less perceptive and certainly less successful at finding the murderer.  Colonel Craddock (Simon Wells) was strong, authoritative and with the perfect voice and manner for this character, accompanied by the acerbic and somewhat disillusioned Margaret (Rosemary Smith).  Flirtatious society girl Elizabeth Hartley-Trumpington (Hannah Chelton) was occasionally a little unconvincing, as was the ridiculously-French art-dealer Pierre Marceau (James Chelton), but we soon discovered why, as both actors skilfully demonstrated a clear change of accent and personality.  Predictably, much of the plot revolved around the efforts of the police, who were represented here by Constable Thomkins, (Lennon Yates) the intelligent and perceptive village bobby, intelligently and convincingly played, and Acting Inspector Pratt, (Brian Travers) who lived up to his name admirably, as he blundered through the plot, Clouseau-fashion, portraying stupidity and ineptitude and under-estimating the ability of his long-suffering constable.  

It is easy to dismiss this style of material as ‘lightweight’, but comedy is at least as challenging as a straight drama, often more so, and where the script is wordy and includes little ready-written action, it demands a great deal of the director and cast.  The blocking was excellent, never awkward as it often can be in a prolonged drawing-room scene, the only potential change being that Margaret might perhaps use the occasional pause during the long pacing up and down section.

Swanage Drama Company had a really good stab at the murdery-mystery genre and the audience certainly appreciated it: some very good performances and a funny script made for a very amusing evening.

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